Spiritual and/or Moral Articles

The Attractiveness of a Surrendered Life

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell
everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me." Luke 18:22 NIV

"I have been all things unholy. If God can work through me, he can work through
anyone." St. Francis of Assisi

Have you ever wished you could share your faith with friends or loved ones who
do not know Christ? Or have you ever worried that our culture is slipping
farther and farther away from God's truth, but don't know how to turn it around?
In past devotionals, several of us have quoted St. Francis of Assisi's approach
to evangelism: "Preach the Gospel all times and when necessary, use words."

St. Francis' entire life was one of radical conversion that led to many giving
their lives to Christ. Let's see what we can apply from his medieval story to
modern times.

St. Francis' story takes place in the early 1200's - an era when Christianity
enjoyed prominence in Europe. But sadly, even with widespread power and
acceptance of the Church, many Christians did not lead lives in keeping with
their faith. Francis was no exception. He came from a wealthy Italian family;
his father earned a comfortable life as a successful cloth merchant, and his
mother was of noble birth. The handsome, witty Francis was spoiled rotten by his
parents, showing more interest in playing than in his academics or his father's
career.

Francis' life of ease and play received a rude but life-changing interruption in
1201. After being captured in a small battle between rival cities, Francis spent
a year sick and alone. His time of weakness and contemplation made him realize
how useless his life had been up to that point.

But transformation for Francis was slow. After he regained his health, Francis
desired personal glory. He signed up for the military, even fancying one day
he'd be a great prince. But illness and a sense that God was calling him back to
Assisi brought him home again.

It was around this time friends began to notice a lasting change in this
attractive, party guy. Friends asked if he had a woman on his mind. He
responded, "I am about to take a wife of surpassing fairness." But this wife was
not a mortal woman. Instead, Francis renounced his inheritance, gave what he had
to the poor, and wedded himself to "Lady Poverty" (much to his father's fury).

Not long after taking his vow of poverty, St. Francis heard Christ speak to him
while he was praying in a small, shabby chapel. The voice said, "Francis, go out
and build up my house, for it is nearly falling down." At first, St. Francis
thought he needed to repair the actual building he was praying in. But soon it
became clear St. Francis' mission was really to restore genuine faith among the
church - God's people.

So St. Francis began spending most of his time praying, serving the sick and
preaching repentance throughout the region. He had no intentions of starting a
community of religious, but single men of diverse backgrounds became intrigued
by St. Francis' humility and wholehearted devotion to the Gospel. And not long
after men began joining his mission, a privileged young woman named Clare left
her riches behind, bringing women alongside St. Francis to restore genuine faith
among the people.

With so many joining in, St. Francis realized he was becoming the leader of a
monastic movement. So, he sought to keep their focus on Christ by establishing a
rule of life on Scripture. In short, the mission of the Franciscan monks and
Poor Clare nuns would be to "Announce the kingdom! Possess no gold or silver or
copper in your purses, no traveling bag, no sandals, no staff" (Luke 9:1-3).
They imitated the early disciples by traveling in twos, owning few personal
possessions, and serving those in need while sharing the Gospel to all. Their
spiritual legacy continues with Franciscan and Poor Clare communities in regions
all over the world today.

Some other little-known facts of how God worked through this influential
Christian:

Did you know St. Francis once challenged a Muslim sultan to consider the truth
of Christianity - and the sultan actually considered it?

Did you know St. Francis is credited with creating the first living Nativity
scene at Christmas?

Did you know that, centuries before the Reformation, St. Francis taught and
wrote about the faith in local dialects so commoners could understand?

St. Francis' story gives us encouragement today. After all, we too live in a
culture where Christianity was the dominant religion for a long time but sadly,
it's now common for good people to lose sight of the faith. But God worked
through a spoiled, wealthy young man to show the surrounding community that even
worldly comforts could not satisfy the deepest yearnings of their souls - and He
can do the same today.

While most of us are not called to take vows of poverty, it was St. Francis'
unwavering, single-minded devotion to the Gospel that most attracted others to
him. And this is something we can - and should - aspire to imitate. As we seek
to surrender our lives to Christ more completely, God will work through each one
of us in unique ways to inspire others to join us on the faith journey.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

Sometimes, the idea of giving everything to God is scary. I personally used to
dislike reading stories like St. Francis of Assisi's because I was afraid I'd
have to leave my life behind and become a nun in a foreign country. But the
truth is, God will never disappoint those who surrender all to Him. Are you
holding anything back from God? Ask God to give you the faith to surrender
whatever fears, sins, or idols to Him.

Source: Crosswalk.com, The Devotional

See Also:

"Pulling an Assisi"
"Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words." ó Saint Francis of
Assisi.
Whenever I read or hear the above quote by St. Francis of Assisi, I naturally
think of myself first. Ahem.

Letting Godís light shine through you
Being a Christian is more than just lip service. Itís living your
life in such a way that others see a difference in you. So as you go
throughout your life, let others see Godís grace and love in you!